Thermodynamic control alkylation

Dibromopropene was used in an efficient thermodynamically controlled alkylation. Hydrolysis of the vinyl bromide yielded a 1,4-diketone (S.C. Welch, 1979). 

As pointed out (see Section 5.1.4) alkyl group migration (i.e., isomerization) in these carbocationic intermediates can take place with ease, even under conditions where the product dialkylbenzenes themselves do not undergo further isomerization. Kinetically controlled alkylation free of thermodynamically controlled alkyl group migration therefore cannot be judged on absence of product alkylbenzene isomerization. 

In contrast to the results of base-catalyzed alkylations of sodium or potassium enolates under thermodynamic control, alkylations of enamines of unsymmetrical ketones occur largely or exclusively at the less-substituted a-position. More-substituted ketone enamines are destabilized relative to the less-substituted isomers by A - -strain involving the substituents on the nitrogen atom and at the 3-carbon atom. Although in most systems some of the more-substituted enamine is present in equilibrium with the less-substituted isomer, the former is less reactive toward C-alkylation because steric effects prevent effective overlap of the lone pair of electrons on nitrogen with the carbon-carbon ir-bond. 

An interesting case are the a,/i-unsaturated ketones, which form carbanions, in which the negative charge is delocalized in a 5-centre-6-electron system. Alkylation, however, only occurs at the central, most nucleophilic position. This regioselectivity has been utilized by Woodward (R.B. Woodward, 1957 B.F. Mundy, 1972) in the synthesis of 4-dialkylated steroids. This reaction has been carried out at high temperature in a protic solvent. Therefore it yields the product, which is formed from the most stable anion (thermodynamic control). In conjugated enones a proton adjacent to the carbonyl group, however, is removed much faster than a y-proton. If the same alkylation, therefore, is carried out in an aprotic solvent, which does not catalyze tautomerizations, and if the temperature is kept low, the steroid is mono- or dimethylated at C-2 in comparable yield (L. Nedelec, 1974). 

Alkylation of pyrazinones and quinoxalinones may be carried out under a variety of conditions and it is usually observed that while O-alkylation may occur under conditions of kinetic control, to yield the corresponding alkoxypyrazines or alkoxyquinoxalines, under thermodynamic control the A-alkylated products are formed. Alkylation using trialkyl-oxonium fluoroborate results in exclusive O-alkylation, and silylation under a variety of conditions (75MI21400) yields specifically the O-silylated products. Alkylation with methyl iodide or dimethyl sulfate invariably leads to A-methylation. 

A parallel exists between the results of protonation and alkylation of pyrazolones since there is an alkyl derivative for each tautomer. The main difference is that the percentage of the different tautomers is thermodynamically controlled whereas that of alkyl derivatives is kinetically controlled. One has to remember that the alkyl derivatives thus obtained are the fixed compounds used in tautomeric studies. 

The fact that the isomeric structure of azolides is thermodynamically controlled has been used by Olofson and Kendall to prepare 1-alkylazoles regioselectively (70JOC2246). An asymmetric pyrazole yields two alkylated derivatives (Scheme 21 see Section 4.04.2.1.3 (viii)), but the alkylation with a powerful alkylating agent of the acetylated derivative leads to the less abundant isomer via the salt (249), which is too unstable to be isolated. 

As first demonstrated by Stork,the metal enolate formed by metal-ammoni reduction of a conjugated enone or a ketol acetate can be alkylated in liquic ammonia. The reductive alkylation reaction is synthetically useful since ii permits alkylation of a ketone at the a-position other than the one at whicf thermodynamically controlled enolate salt formation occurs. Direct methyl-ation of 5a-androstan-17-ol-3-one occurs at C-2 whereas reductive methyl-... 

The thermodynamically controlled endo preference is shifted towards exo when larger alkyl groups are attached to the terminus13133. 

Lithiated areneacetonitriles react with a,/i-unsaturated ketones at low temperatures using short reaction times to give both 1,2- and 1,4-adducts. The 1,2-addition is reversible and under thermodynamic control (higher temperatures and longer reaction times) only the 1,4-adducts, i.e., <5-oxonitriles, arc obtained. When lithiated arylacetonitrile is added to 2-substituted 2-cy-cloalkenones in THF or in THF/HMPA mixtures at — 70-0°C, followed by protonation or alkylation under kinetically controlled conditions, predominantly cis- or fnms-2,3-disubstitut-ed cycloalkanones respectively, are obtained. 

In contrast to the results of the reaction of tertiary and secondary alkyl cations with carbon monoxide (Figs. 1-5), which were obtained under thermodynamically controlled conditions, the results of the carbonylation with the vinyl cations were obtained under kinetically controlled conditions. This presents a difficulty in explaining the occurrence of the 1,2-CH3 shift in the reaction 16->-17, because it involves a strong increase in energy. The exclusive formation of the Z-stereoisomer 18 on carbonylation of the 1,2-dimethylvinyl cation 16 is remarkable, but does not allow an unambiguous conclusion about the detailed structure— linear 19 or bent 20—of the vinyl cation. A non-classical structure 21 can be disregarded, however, because the attack... 

In Sections II and III the quantitative aspects have been summarized of the reversible carbonylation of secondary and tertiary alkyl cations as studied under thermodynamically controlled conditions. In Section IV the results have been reviewed of the irreversible carbonylation of the much less stable primary alkyl and vinyl cations as studied under kinetically controlled conditions. No kinetic details had been obtained in the latter case owing to the short-hved character of the ions. 

The fundamental aspects of the structure and stability of carbanions were discussed in Chapter 6 of Part A. In the present chapter we relate the properties and reactivity of carbanions stabilized by carbonyl and other EWG substituents to their application as nucleophiles in synthesis. As discussed in Section 6.3 of Part A, there is a fundamental relationship between the stabilizing functional group and the acidity of the C-H groups, as illustrated by the pK data summarized in Table 6.7 in Part A. These pK data provide a basis for assessing the stability and reactivity of carbanions. The acidity of the reactant determines which bases can be used for generation of the anion. Another crucial factor is the distinction between kinetic or thermodynamic control of enolate formation by deprotonation (Part A, Section 6.3), which determines the enolate composition. Fundamental mechanisms of Sw2 alkylation reactions of carbanions are discussed in Section 6.5 of Part A. A review of this material may prove helpful. 

The preparation of ketones and ester from (3-dicarbonyl enolates has largely been supplanted by procedures based on selective enolate formation. These procedures permit direct alkylation of ketone and ester enolates and avoid the hydrolysis and decarboxylation of keto ester intermediates. The development of conditions for stoichiometric formation of both kinetically and thermodynamically controlled enolates has permitted the extensive use of enolate alkylation reactions in multistep synthesis of complex molecules. One aspect of the alkylation reaction that is crucial in many cases is the stereoselectivity. The alkylation has a stereoelectronic preference for approach of the electrophile perpendicular to the plane of the enolate, because the tt electrons are involved in bond formation. A major factor in determining the stereoselectivity of ketone enolate alkylations is the difference in steric hindrance on the two faces of the enolate. The electrophile approaches from the less hindered of the two faces and the degree of stereoselectivity depends on the steric differentiation. Numerous examples of such effects have been observed.51 In ketone and ester enolates that are exocyclic to a conformationally biased cyclohexane ring there is a small preference for... 

The enolates of ketones can be acylated by esters and other acylating agents. The products of these reactions are [Tdicarbonyl compounds, which are rather acidic and can be alkylated by the procedures described in Section 1.2. Reaction of ketone enolates with formate esters gives a P-ketoaldehyde. As these compounds exist in the enol form, they are referred to as hydroxymethylene derivatives. Entries 1 and 2 in Scheme 2.16 are examples. Product formation is under thermodynamic control so the structure of the product can be predicted on the basis of the stability of the various possible product anions. 

Alkyl groups can also migrate from one position to another on the ring.36 Such migrations are also thermodynamically controlled and proceed in the direction of minimizing steric interactions between substituents. 

Freccero, M. Gandolfi, R. Sarzi-Amade, M. Selectivity of purine alkylation by a quinone methide. Kinetic or thermodynamic control J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 6411-6423. 

The first silicon-organophosphorus betaine with a thiolate center (15a) was synthesized by the reaction of stable silanethione (14) with trimethyl-methylenephosphorane (Scheme 8) and characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy.14 Compound 15a is formed under kinetic control and is transformed, under the thermodynamically controlled conditions, into the silaacenaphthene salt (16). The processes presented in this scheme reflect the competition of the basicity and nucleophilicity of phosphorus ylides. Betaine 15b prepared from less nucleophilic and less basic ylide with phenyl substituents at the phosphorus atom is much less resistant toward retro-decomposition compared to the alkyl analog. Its equilibrium concentration does not exceed 6%. 

The use of /i-ketocstcrs and malonic ester enolates has largely been supplanted by the development of the newer procedures based on selective enolate formation that permit direct alkylation of ketone and ester enolates and avoid the hydrolysis and decarboxylation of ketoesters intermediates. Most enolate alkylations are carried out by deprotonating the ketone under conditions that are appropriate for kinetic or thermodynamic control. Enolates can also be prepared from silyl enol ethers and by reduction of enones (see Section 1.3). Alkylation also can be carried out using silyl enol ethers by reaction with fluoride ion.31 Tetraalkylammonium fluoride salts in anhydrous solvents are normally the... 

N-alkylations and rearrangements are important for the synthesis of glycosides. N-3 and N-4 glycoside, e.g., of 5-oxo-TPs, are obtained under different conditions as the kinetically and thermodynamically controlled product, respectively [75BSF(2)2561] therefore a thermal rearrangement from an N-3 to an N-4 glycoside is possible. Table X lists these glycosides included are those derived from thioxo-TPs and mercaptomethyl-TPs. 

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